Refrigerating apparatus



May 21, 1963 E. F. HUBACKER 3,090,209

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed April 24, 1961 2 sheets-sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,090,209 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Earl F. Hubacker, Evansville, Ind., asslgnor to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 104,961 14 Claims. (Cl. 62-180) This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and in particular to dual chamber refrigerating apparatus such as combined refrigerator-freezer apparatus.

One form of dual chamber refrigerating apparatus, such as disclosed in copending Herndon and Tillman application Serial No. 104,962, filed April 14, 1961, and assigned to the assignee hereof, includes a first freezer chamber and a second, subjacent refrigerator chamber. A wall disposed between the chambers houses an evaporator in thermal transfer association with which air is moved by improved air moving means for refrigeration thereof and subsequent delivery selectively to the charnbers to provide a freezing temperature in one chamber and an above-freezing low temperature in the other chamber.

The present invention comprehends a new and improved arrangement of such apparatus wherein the air is circulated in a novel manner eectively precluding frost formation tending to block the air flow passages.

Thus, a principal -feature of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved refrigerating apparatus.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of such a refrigerating apparatus including new and irn-` proved means for circulating refrigerating air to associated freezer and refrigerator chambers.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a refrigerating apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken substantially along the line 2 2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuitry of the apparatus.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawing, a refrigerating apparatus generally designated is shown to comprise an insulated enclosure 11 having a front opening 12 and a transverse wall 13 defining an upper freezer chamber 14, and a lower refrigerator chamber 15. The upper chamber 14 is selectively closed by a door 16 and the lower chamber is selectively closed by a door 17. The lower portion 18 of the enclosure may be arranged to house associated refrigerating apparatus such as a compressor 19 in the conventional manner.

As best seen in FIG. 1, dividing wall 13 includes a bottom plate 20, a top plate 21 and a body of insulation 22 between the plates. The front end of the dividing wall 13 is closed by means of an uptumed end 22 of bottom plate 20, the forward end 23 of upper plate 27 and a V-shaped center plate 24. A decorative U-shaped cover plate 25 extends forwardly therefrom and doors 16 and 17 carry suitable sealing gaskets 26 for engagement therewith.

Upper plate 27 is spaced somewhat above top plate 21 of wall 13, and it together with top plate 21 defines an air passage 28 in which a suitable evaporator 29 is disposed. The forward end 23 of upper plate 27 contains a plurality of openings 30 providing communication between the upper' chamber 14 and the air passage 28. A plurality of openings 31 is provided in wall 13 providing communication between lower chamber 15 and air passage 28 adjacent the frontend of the wall. The

3,090,209 Patented May 21, 1963 FNIce upper plate 27 and the top plate 21 of wall 13 are suitably formed at the rear portion thereof to define an outlet opening 32.

Extending upwardly from outlet opening 32 through the central rear portion of chamber 14 is a flue 33, defined by a flue plate 49 and the rear wall 50 of a liner 51 of cabinet 11 defining chamber 14, for receiving air from passage 28 and delivering it to chamber 14 at an upper portion 34 thereof. An air moving means comprising a motor driven fan 35 is disposed within flue 33 adjacent the lower end thereof for positively flowing air from outlet opening 32 to chamber portion 34.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, a transfer. flue 36 includes an inlet 37 communicating with a chamber portion 34a tov one side of the chamber portion 34, and an outlet 38 communicating with the upper rear portion 39 of lower chamber 15 for delivering air from chamber 14 to chamber 15. More specifically, flue 36 is defined by a rear plate 40 and a front plate 4l. An air moving means comprising a motor driven fan 42 is disposed in the lower end of the flue 36 for positively flowing air` through a freezer thermostat switch 45 to the other lead L2 of the power supply. A freezer fan 35 and the refrigerator fan 42 are connected in parallel through a suitable door switch 46 to a terminal 47 of the freezer thermostat switch 45 to which the compressor is also connected. A refrigerator thermostat switch 48 is connected in series with the refrigerator fan 42 in the parallel connection with the freezer fan 35.

Thus, the compressor 19 is operated only when the freezer thermostat 45 is closed as when the temperature in the -freezer chamber 14 reaches a preselected subfreezing high temperature. With the doors 16 and 17 closed, the motor driven freezer fan 35 is energized to draw air from air passage 28, and deliver it to freezer chamber portion 34. This air circulates through freezer chamber 14 and passes through openings 30 in upper plate 27 back to air passage 28 where it is -again refrigerated by the evaporator 29 being cooled by refrigerant delivered from the compressor 19, and is then recirculated through chamber 14 by fan 35.

When refrigerator chamber 15 reaches a preselected high temperature, herein an above-freezing temperature, such as approximately 35 F., the thermostat switch 48 closes, thereby energizing motor driven fan 42 when the freezer thermostat switch 45 Iis closed. Operation of fan 42 causes a portion of the air delivered to chamber portion 34 to be drawn through inlet 37 of flue 36 and delivered outwardly through outlet 38 of the flue to lower chamber portion 39. The chilled air delivered to lower cham-ber portion 39 passes forwardly through the chamber 15 and upwardly through openings 31 at the front of dividing wall 13 back to air passage 28. Where the openings 43 are provided in flue 36, a portion of the air is drawn from lower chamber portion 39 through openings 43 directly to fiue space 44 to be recirculated -by the fan 42. As brought out more fullyin the above-indicated copending Herndon and Tillman application, the recirculation of a portion of the air in refrigerator chamber 15 by-passing the evaporator 29 provides improved uniform temperature, prevention of injuryl to freezesusceptible food products and the like in chamber 15, and serves to remove moisture collected on the bottom plate 20.

As the flue 36 communicates with the chamber portion 34 at the discharge side of fan 35, and as evaporator 29 causes substantially all of the pressure drop between the pressure nad suction side of the fan 35 to occur in the air passage 28, the pressure at opening 37, opening 30, and opening 31 is substantially equal when fan 42 is not operating. This effectively precludes the flow of any of the moist air from refrigerator chamber 15 into freezer vchamber 14, and similarly effectively precludes the flow of any of the low temperature air from freezer chamber 14 to refrigerator chamber 1S. The prevention of all air flow from chamber 15 to chamber14 effectively prevents blocking of the relatively cold opening 37 and opening 52 in top plate 2l defining the upper end of opening 3l of dividing wall 13 by ffrost formation thereacross. Further, the prevention of flow of air from chamber 14 to chamber 15 effectively precludes the undesirable delivery of cold air thereto when the temperature is already at or below thepreselected refrigeration temperature obtained by the operation of the thermostat 48.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing, it is my intention that the invention be not limited -by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed as defined as follows:

1. Refrigerating -apparatus comprising: means -forming an air passage; refrigerating -means for cooling air in said air passage; means forming first and second chambers; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said first chamber; first air moving means for flowing air through said first conduit means from said air passage to said first chamber; second conduit means interconnecting said first chamber and said second chamber; second air moving means for flowing a-ir through said second conduit means from said first chamber to said second chamber; and Ameans for conducting air from said chambers to said air passa-ge.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising: means forming an air passage; refrigerating means for cooling air in said air passage; means forming first and second chambers; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said first chamber; first air moving means for flowing air -through said first conduit means from said air passage to said first chamber; second conduit means interconnecting said first chamber and said second chamber; second air moving means for owing air through said second conduit means from said first chamber to said second chamber; means for conducting air from said chambers to said air passage; first control means responsive to the temperature within said first chamber for simultaneously precluding operation of said refrigerating means and said first and second air moving means when the temperature in said first chamber drops to -a preselected temperature; and second control means responsive to the temperature within said second chamber for precluding operation of said second air moving lmeans when the temperature in said second chamber drops to a preselected temperature.

, 3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising: means forming an .air passage; refrigerating means for cooling air in said air passage; means forming first and second chambers; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said first chamber; first air moving means for flowing air through said first conduit means from said air passage t said first chamber; second conduit means interconnecting said first chamber and said second chamber; second air moving means for owing air through said second conduit means from' said first chamber to said second chamber; means for conducting air -from said chambers to said air passage; first control means responsive to the temperature within said first chamber for simultaneously interrupting operation of said refrigerating means and said first air moving means when the temperaturein said first chamber drops to a preselected temperature; second control means responsive tothe temperature Within said second chamber for interrupting operation of said second air moving means when the temperature in said second chamber drops to a preselected temperature; and means defining a flow passage interconnecting said second chamber and said second conduit means upstream of said second air moving means for circulating a portion of the air from. said second chamber substantially directly to said second air moving means.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising: means forming an air passage; refrigerating means for cooling air in said air passage; means forming a first chamber; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said first cham ber; first air moving means -for flowing air through said first conduit means from said air passage to said first chamber; means forming a second chamber subjacent said first chamber; second conduit means interconnecting said first chamber and said second chamber; second air moving means for flowing air downwardly through said second conduit means from said first chamber to said second chamber; and means for conducting air from said cham- -bers to said air passage.

5. The refrigerating apparatus of claim 4 wherein said second conduit means includes an inlet in the top of said means forming the first chamber.

6. The refrigerating apparatus of claim 4 wherein said first conduit means includes an outlet in a first portion of the top of said first chamber and the second conduit means includes an inlet communicating with a second portionof the top of said first chamber spaced laterally from said first portion.

7. The refrigerating apparatus of claim 4 wherein said second conduit includes an outlet communicating with an upper portion of-said second chamber.

8. Refrigerating apparatus comprising: means forming an air passage; refrigerating means for cooling air -in said air passage; means forming first and second chambers; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said first chamber; first air moving means for fiowing air through said first conduit means from said air passage to said first chamber; second conduit means interconnecting said tirst chamber and said second chamber; second air moving means for owing air through said second conduit means from said first chamber to said second chamber; means for conducting air from said charnbers to said -air passage; and first control means responsive to the temperature within said first chamber for simultaneously interrupting operation of said refrigerating means and said first air moving means when thetemperature in said first chamber drops to a below-freezing preselected temperature.

9. Refrigerating apparatus comprising: means forming an -air passage; refrigerating means for cooling air in said air passage; means forming first and second chambers; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said firstvchamber; first air moving means for flowing air through said' first conduit means from said air passage to said first chamber; second conduit means interconnecting said first chamber and said second chamber, said second conduit means having successive first and second portions; second air moving means in said second portion of the second conduit means for flowing air through said second conduit means from said first chamber to said second chamber; means for conducting air from said chambers to said air passage; and means defining a flow passage interconnecting said second chamber and said first portion of the conduit means for circulating air from said second chamber to the second air moving means.

10. The refrigerating apparatus of claim 9 wherein said flow passage is closely adjacent the second air moving means and the meansfor conducting air -from the second chamber to the air passage comprises another flow passage spaced substantially from said second air moving means.

11. Refrigerating apparatus comprising: means forming an air passage; refrigerating means for cooling air in said air passage; means forming first and second charnbers; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said first chamber; first air moving means for drawing air on the suction side thereof from said air passage and forcing the drawn air on the pressure side thereof to said first chamber; second conduit means on the pressure side of the air moving means communicating with said second chamber; and means for conducting air from said chambers to said air passage including a passage between said second chamber and said air passage at a point in said air pasage whereat the pressure is substantially the same as at the pressure side of the air moving means; and second air moving means for flowing air from said first chamber through said second conduit means to said second chamber.

12. Refrigerating apparatus comprising: means forming an air passage; refrigerating means for cooling air in said air passage; means forming first and second chambers; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said first chamber; lfirst air moving means for drawing air from said air passage and forcing the drawn air to said first chamber; second conduit means interconnecting said first chamber and said second chamber, said second conduit means including an inlet opening thereinto from said first chamber; means for conducting air from said chambers to said air passage including a pas-sage between said second chamber and said air passage at a point in said air passage such that said refrigerating means is disposed between said point and said first conduit means, substantially all the pressure drop between the discharge and suction side of said air moving means occurring in said air passage, whereby the pressure developed by said 13. Refrigerating apparatus comprising: means forming an air passage; refrigerating means for cooling air in said air passage; means forming first and second chambers; first conduit means interconnecting said air passage and said first chamber; first air moving means for drawing air from said air passage and forcing the drawn air to said first chamber; second conduit means interconnecting said first chamber and said second chamber, said second conduit means including an inlet opening thereinto from said first chamber; second air moving means for owing air through said second conduit means from said inlet to said second chamber; and means for conducting air from said chambers to said air passage including a passage -between said second chamber Aand said air passage at a point therein such that said refrigerating means is disposed between said point and said first conduit means, substantially all the pressure drop between the discharge and suction side of the first air moving means occurring in said air passage, whereby the pressure developed by said first air moving means at said inlet opening and said point is substantially equal.

14. The refrigerating apparatus of claim 13 wherein said refrigerating means includes an evaporator in said air passage between said point and said first conduit means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,866,323 Candor. Dec. 30, 1958 2,907,180 Mann Oct. 6, 1959 2,994,209 Mann Aug. 1, 1961 3,005,321 Devery Oct. 24, 1961 

1. REFRIGERATING APPARATUS COMPRISING: MEANS FORMING AN AIR PASSAGE; REFRIGERATING MEANS FOR COOLING AIR IN SAID AIR PASSAGE; MEANS FORMING FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS; FIRST CONDUIT MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID AIR PASSAGE AND SAID FIRST CHAMBERS; FIRST AIR MOVING MEANS FOR FLOWING AIR THROUGH SAID FIRST CONDUIT MEANS FROM SAID AIR PASSAGE TO SAID FIRST CHAMBER; SECOND CONDUIT MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID FIRST CHAMBER AND SAID SECOND CHAMBER; SECOND AIR MOVING MEANS FOR FLOWING AIR THROUGH SAID SECOND CONDUIT MEANS FROM SAID FIRST CHAMBER TO SAID SECOND CHAMBER; AND MEANS FOR CONDUTING AIR FROM SAID CHAMBERS TO SAID AIR PASSAGE. 